13 Pictures That Prove Japan Is A Country From A Different Galaxy

Japan is a beautiful country with a rich culture that combines old traditions from past centuries with today’s incredible technological progress. Due to their unique place in both past and present, it is no wonder that Japanese life differs from the one most people are used to. Sometimes this country can surprise us so much that we begin to feel that it belongs to another galaxy.

Scroll down below to learn some fascinating facts from life in Japan:

1. A drivers strike, that's profitable for passengers

Bus drivers in Okayama city, Japan, recently went on strike. On the rest of the planet, a similar case would cause several inconveniences for passengers, but not in this country. In Okayama, buses are still running their regular routes without charging passengers the fare. Therefore, the company loses money, but passengers remain happy.

2. A special worker is guarding an out of service escalator.

When an escalator stopped working in one of the malls in Sapporo city, it was immediately fenced in, and signs with warnings and apologies for the inconvenience were hung right away. A special worker was also standing there all day long to warn passengers and control the situation. Amazing!

3. Organized train lines

This is a line for a transit train in Tokyo. People are patiently waiting for the train in lines, each of which begins at the level of an opening door. Although there is hardly any personal space in these lines, at least there's no mess.

4. Kotatsu is there, even in places like movie theaters

A brand new movie theater with very comfortable seating recently opened in the city of Tokorozawa. You feel at home there because all its seats are equipped with kotatsu tables and heating elements beneath them. By the way, Kotatsu is a traditional furniture item in Japan.

5. A head cat

6. Items with two prices

Some Japanese shops display two prices for one item. The thing is that GST or sales tax is usually automatically added to goods. So Japanese people, unlike people from other countries, are used to counting it separately.

8. Disposable umbrellas

Disposable umbrellas are extremely popular in Japan. They are very cheap hence there is no need to worry if they break. And umbrellas break quite often in Japan because of harsh weather conditions. You can easily see piles of used plastic umbrellas after showers near metro stations.

9. Friendly competition

The Japanese thermal resort Beppu held a campaign for the sake of its competitor — Kusatsu resort, which had recently suffered from an earthquake and due to the natural disaster its usual number of tourists drastically decreased. The slogan on the advertising board of Beppu reads, “Instead of Beppu, you should go to Kusatsu now.” The comments on the official website of Beppu Resort say they'll continue to compete once Kusatsu overcomes the disaster. Meanwhile, they should stand together.

A post shared by 日産自動車株式会社 (@nissanjapan) on Jan 26, 2018 at 1:54am PST

A Japanese hotel has begun to offer its guests slippers which can park themselves in a designated place when you aren't using them. Each slipper is equipped with two wheels, an engine, and sensors. The Nissan company created this novelty.

11. Food samples in Japanese restaurants

Japanese restaurants display fake food samples which look just like the food shown on their menu. The food is set up on the restaurants’ windows and it seems so real that anybody passing by will begin salivating just looking at them.